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How To Move to Mexico Before Trump Takes Office: A Guide

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Pack your bags for a new country! Photo illustration by Sarah Schumacher

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Looking to flee the U.S. before Donald Trump takes office again? Consider moving to Mexico! Prominent Texans like Ted Cruz love visiting this vibrant nation when the going gets tough back home, and the coming political saga will almost certainly be as challenging as Texas’ failing infrastructure.

The average cost of a residential property in Mexico has risen steadily since 2019. At the end of last year, the national average cost to buy a home was 1.6 million Mexican pesos — about US $77,900. Mexico generally has a lower cost of living than the U.S. Western Union estimates that to live comfortably in Mexico you would need $600 to $2,000 per month, with variation based on region and the number of people in your household.

As one of the resident Mexicans at the Observer, I've prepared this handy list of six things you absolutely must know as you rush to migrate before the wall is finished and the river becomes militarized.

1. Mexico Has a Broad Range of Visa Options

If you are already a U.S. citizen, Mexico allows you to enter the nation for tourism and business without requiring a visa. But for longer stays in the nation you need to consider getting either a temporary or permanent residence visa. Both options require that you schedule an appointment with the Mexican Consulate and its visa office, followed by the in-person presentation of all your corroborating information and a $51.00 payment.

Temporary residency is for those seeking to stay up to four years in Mexico, which gives you ample time to wait out the next election cycle before fully committing to being in a new country. The permit by default lasts for one year and can be renewed for a total of four years of legal residence. In most instances, you must apply for temporary residency before you can apply for permanent residency, and the application must be made before entering the country unless you are closely related to a current legal resident or Mexican national. Financial stability is a key consideration in the visa application: the Mexican consulate requires an income of at least $2,145.89 per month for the last 6 months and a total of savings and investments that does not fall below $35,765 over the last 12 months.

After completing four years of temporary residency, you have three options: 1) apply for permanent residency; 2) apply for temporary residency again; or 3) leave the country. Financial solvency and proof thereof are the key requirements when applying for a Mexican visa.

The Mexican Consulate in Dallas last updated its visa requirements on Aug. 6, 2024. For specific details about exact document requirements, look through the handy list prepared by the consulate.

2: Don’t Just Use Google Translate When You See or Hear Spanish

Like the U.S., Mexico does not have an official language. Also like the U.S., Mexico has a de facto language. Spanish is spoken by 99% of the population according to the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Spanish is everywhere, even on the Dallas Consulate website.

Immigration is a legal process, and legal terminology isn’t exactly something that tools such as Google Translate are able to express effectively. If you are completely unfamiliar with the Spanish language, consider learning some before you travel to a country whose de facto language is Spanish. Consider speaking with expert translators, not just your friend from high school who says they speak Spanish, to make sure that you get the highest-quality translation when dealing with sensitive immigration paperwork.

What you learned in your high school Spanish class also isn’t representative of how native Spanish speakers in Mexico write or talk. Ted Campbell, American journalist, professor and frequent visitor to Mexico, compiled a list of over one-hundred Mexican slang words for those interested in visiting the nation and understanding the things people sometimes say.

3: Mexico Is Big and Differs Dramatically by Region

The United Mexican States is the 13th-largest country by area in the world and is home to over 130 million people across its 32 states. It's the 10th-most-populous country and the country with the highest number of Spanish speakers in the world. With its vast northern deserts, tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps, grasslands and alpine ecosystems, Mexico is one of the most ecologically diverse countries on the planet, and your experience will be heavily shaped by the area you are in.

Are you a fan of the extreme Texas heat? Consider moving to northern desert states like Sonora, Chihuahua and Coahuila. A fan of tropical forests and the Gulf of Mexico? Then take a look at the states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo. Interested in the largest city in North America? Pay a visit to sprawling Mexico City before it sinks deeper into the ground.

Most American immigrant guides recommend cities that are safe for Americans, and it's generally a good rule of thumb to stick to those recommendations. The U.S. Department of State provides a detailed map and state by state breakdown regarding the possible threats in different parts of Mexico that an American might encounter. The states of Campeche and Yucatán are generally considered the safest for Americans.

4: Mexico Is Awash in American Enclaves

Gentrification by American and even Canadian immigrants is nothing new for Mexico. Cities like Guanajuato’s San Miguel de Allende have been a hot spot for American immigrants since the 1930s, and the 1990s brought a huge uptick in American real estate purchases in major cities like Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Querétaro and Mérida, to name a few.

Depending on where you choose to move, you might not even need to learn Spanish. Some cities have such large American immigrant populations that English is easily and readily spoken by the American immigrants who now inhabit these idyllic areas. The cities of Chapala, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas all provide beautiful views and affordable prices that have attracted American immigrants for decades. Chapala has the largest concentration of American and Canadian immigrants in the world.


5:  Get the Appropriate Healthcare

If you are moving out of the U.S. for a while, you can expect to eventually encounter some health issues. American medical tourism is already common in Mexico: more than a million Americans traveled to Mexico for healthcare in 2023 due in part to the lower cost of procedures, treatments and pharmaceuticals there.

Like any civilized nation, Mexico constitutionally guarantees its citizens access to healthcare, which comes in three forms: the Mexican Institute for Social Security (IMSS), the Seguro Popular and private insurance. The IMSS is medical coverage that comes through one’s employer and is entirely handled by the employer; costs for IMSS typically amount to $500 per year. The first two categories are intended to provide medical coverage for everyone in Mexico. The private healthcare system is the third option; the private system focuses on providing more comfort, speed and privacy but comes at a steeper price.

Regardless of your status as a temporary or permanent resident, as long as you're a legal immigrant in Mexico you can apply for the IMSS. Private insurance options can be used if you want more than what is provided by the state or are otherwise ineligible for IMSS because of past conditions like diabetes or cancer. If your employer does not automatically provide you with IMSS, you can contact them to go through the opt-in application process independently.

6: Eat the Street Food

Dallasites and Texans at large are already familiar with Tex-Mex cuisine, but such fare pales in comparison to real Mexican food. The best Mexican food isn’t found at an expensive restaurant near your closest city center but in a random, partially collapsed building or the little cart you saw while driving around.

Escaping to your country's southern neighbor because of an election is a huge energy drain, and taking in some of the best street food in existence will help you quickly recover and acclimate to your new and tasty environment.

Nearly every state has its own regional dishes and specialities, and items like tacos, tortas and enchiladas are pretty much always great. As someone from the heights of Jalisco, I swear my allegiance to the divine excellence of Tortas Ahogadas, which were invented in our state capital of Guadalajara at the turn of the 20th century.

It must be noted, however, that Mexico does have a more varied selection of dishes than what the average American might be accustomed to. It is usually best not to ask what the name of the food you are eating means or where it came from. Quite often you will find that the really great tacos you ate were made out of things like cow's eyes, tongues, brains, head and lips, to name just a few of the tacos that can come from cows.